Stephen Bigelow

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BACKUP PRODUCTS
What you need to know about LTO-4 tape By Stephen Bigelow
What you will learn: This tip provides an overview of the Linear Tape-Open update to LTO-4, detailing its new features and what you need to consider before upgrading to LTO-4.

Backup tape technology is under pressure -- caught in the struggle between burgeoning enterprise storage demands and shrinking backup... More...

Backup software: Avoiding integration problems By Stephen J. Bigelow
Once you've made a purchase commitment, it's time to get your new backup software up and running. Although the process of installation and integration may seem simple enough, getting the backup software to run properly in your live environment can sometimes prove problematic. There's no substitute for first-hand... More...
Backup software: Preparing for the purchase By Stephen J. Bigelow
Choosing backup software can be a difficult process. The backup market is dominated by a few major vendors, including IBM, EMC Corp., and Symantec Corp. and there are some enterprises that will opt to work with the top vendors exclusively. However, there are actually dozens of backup vendors supplying potentially... More...
Practical guide to buying and implementing backup software By Stephen J. Bigelow
Backups are an essential tier of enterprise storage, ensuring that valuable business data is protected against accidental loss and natural disasters. But the backup landscape is changing. Tape remains the quintessential backup technology. Disk-based technologies (such as disk-to-disk and disk-to-disk-to-tape... More...
CDP: Strengths and weaknesses By Stephen J. Bigelow
Continuous data protection (CDP) is a supplemental backup technology that allows IT staff to recover the maximum amount of data in the absolute minimum time. CDP addresses three key issues of data backup: backup window, recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO). Downtime occurs any time that a... More...
CDP: Future directions By Stephen J. Bigelow
There is little doubt that continuous data protection >continuous data protection (CDP) technology has an important future in enterprise IT deployments. Analysts and vendors alike feel that CDP will eventually become as ubiquitous as RAID and will change the fundamental way that global enterprises protect... More...
CDP: User perspectives By Stephen J. Bigelow
One of the best ways to gauge a technology is to hear feedback from users employing products in actual production environments. Continuous data protection (CDP) is so new that most vendors were extremely hesitant to offer user feedback. Storactive Inc. and Revivio Inc. proved to be pleasant exceptions -- quickly... More...
CDP: An overview By Stephen J. Bigelow
Continuous data protection (CDP), also referred to as "continuous backup" or "time addressable storage," tracks and records changes to enterprise data on the fly in real time. CDP creates a running journal of storage activity, with a new entry generated each time a change occurs to the system. This record is so detailed... More...
How to develop a VTL data retention strategy By Stephen J. Bigelow
What you will learn: Data retention is an important consideration with a VTL, as the space available for backups is, unlike in a tape library, a finite resource. Therefore, developing a data retention strategy is critical for VTL users.

A virtual tape library (VTL) emulates a tape library within a disk storage system... More...

Compression, deduplication and encryption: What's the difference? By Stephen J. Bigelow
What you will learn from this tip: Learn the distinction between compression, deduplication and encryption as these concepts are gaining importance in everyday storage.

Hard disks now rule the storage industry, and traditional storage arrays are routinely flanked by other disk-based systems like virtual... More...

Storage outlook '06: High-density tape a priority By Stephen Bigelow, Features Writer
Dartmouth College may trace its history back to 1769, but today's student body relies on a modern campus-wide network that now exceeds 9,000 PCs. Supporting such an active network for file sharing and database applications demands a careful consideration of data storage. Systems architect James E. Dobson is... More...
CDP adds real-time backup protection for mission-critical data By Stephen J. Bigelow
TECH CLOSE-UP
Backups are certainly part of an overall data protection scheme, but backups themselves are no longer enough. Whether you're collaborating with remote offices on the far side of the world, or taking holiday sales orders over the Web, there's no time to take busy production systems offline for backups... More...
CDP: The vendors By Stephen J. Bigelow
At this point, continuous data protection CDP products are currently available (or in development) from a selection of relatively small but aggressive vendors including -- in no particular order -- Storactive Inc., Mendocino Software, Revivio Inc., Asempra Technologies, TimeSpring Software Corp., XOsoft, and Network... More...
VTL users talk shop By Stephen Bigelow, Features Writer
Backup windows had become a serious problem for the Louisville Water Co. (LWC) due to an ever-growing volume of data. With the implementation of a virtual tape library (VTL), the firm was able to slash its backup window -- which often exceeded an entire weekend -- down to a matter of hours.

LWC has an EMC Corp. Symmetrix 8830... More...

How data backup strategies are changing By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Most storage administrators don't have trouble getting data onto disk or tape. The real challenge is keeping that data safe in the face of daily operations. Whether you're dealing with a hard disk failure or chasing a misplaced tape, data loss is a fact of life.

But data loss isn't just an inconvenience. It can result in... More...

Data backup software overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Backups are typically performed during off hours (evenings and weekends) with few personnel available, so backup software often emphasizes the use of automation. This typically includes keeping track of backup schedules, managing the timely transfer of data volumes to target tape or disk locations, handling ... More...
Tech Roundup: Virtual tape libraries By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
By all accounts, virtual tape libraries (VTLs) are flying off the shelves right now. Just look at the recent news: According to SearchStorage.com news, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) claims it has shipped approximately 1.5 petabytes of its VTL product in a little over six months. Network Appliance Inc. (NetApp) just announced its... More...
CDP overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Tape remains popular for long-term archival storage, but tape technology is hard-pressed to meet the changing needs of business. Storage volumes are growing at an alarming pace, and tape-based backups are not always practical (or even possible) within an available backup window. Large backup users routinely cite... More...
Backup data security overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
The loss or theft of sensitive data doesn't just impact an IT department. News of a lost tape or hacked data center storage can easily make the front page of The Wall Street Journal or USA Today, often leading to lost customers, regulatory scrutiny and a rash of litigation that can damage a company for years. Storage... More...
Tape backup overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Tape is the quintessential backup technology, providing cost-effective, long-term data storage for all business types and sizes. Although tape performance is relatively slow, tape fits well into the storage architecture, because it allows users to store a large volume of data at a reasonable price.

Therefore... More...

Advanced data storage backup and protection overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
It takes more than blank tapes or cheap disks to handle enterprise data backups. It's about keeping the business running while meeting the compliance standards for your industry.

Faster tape drives can speed a conventional backup, but disks are filling a wide range of data backup roles, locally as well as across a... More...

Data backup copies overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
At the simplest level, all backups produce copies of valuable data that protect an organization against loss, theft, failure and other unforeseen calamities. But traditional "backups" are typically relegated to slow tape or optical media where data is not intended for ready access. "Copies" are a bit different... More...
Remote backup overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Two trends are pushing data out of the data center. 1) Branch offices are growing in number. 2) Wireless technologies have expanded the use of laptops and other mobile computing devices, making each mobile user a "branch office."

But with more critical business data residing outside the primary corporate data center... More...
Disk-based backup overview By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
The best way to protect valuable corporate data is to create one or more copies of that data -- backups. However, the burden of implementing a backup scheme that is fast, safe and cost-effective remains a serious challenge for storage administrators. Traditional tape systems simply do not meet the demands of today's... More...
Backup strategies: Future directions By Stephen J. Bigelow, Features Writer
Backup strategies -- Future directions

The future is always uncertain when it comes to technology, but analysts have noted some important trends to look for. The ultimate fate of CDP may be decided within the next two yearsas other technologies fight for attention in the data center. "I think within 12-18 months this... More...

REMOTE BACKUP SOLUTIONS
Using Tape Virtualization to Improve Backup Performance by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
can best be leveraged to produce an optimized backup infrastructure. Virtual tape library (VTL) technology is arguably the easiest way to introduce disk into a tapebased backup infrastructure. A VTL is a set of disks that emulate tape; you see a disk array, your backup software sees a tape drive...
Moving to Disk-based Backup? Seven Key Questions to Ask by ExaGrid Systems, Inc.
to ask when considering a move to disk-based backup. Dealing with tape is cumbersome and time consuming, however with the cost of SATA falling dramatically; backing up to disk has become a reality for IT departments of all sizes.

As you may know, backing up to disk instead of tape provides...
ESG - A Compelling Disk Backup Story by ExaGrid Systems, Inc.
This ESG white paper explores how disk-based backup has emerged and why it is so critical in today's storage environments. Read this white paper to also learn how one company has blossomed in the disk market and the products they offer. Over the past few years, disk-based backup has truly...
VTL Data Management Issues by Storage Magazine
to tape.

As disk libraries become the primary backup target for near-term data recoveries, storage managers are exploring new ways to exploit tape's strengths: high capacity, low cost and mobility. Disk is the best medium for fast backups and recoveries, but tape is often the best option for long...
Optimizing Storage in VDI Environments by SearchStorage.com
and updates, performance, backup and recovery, and management visibility. VDI-Optimized Storage dramatically improves boot performance and has greater VDI scalability. The benefits of VDI-Optimized Storage are significant savings in storage capacity,...
Related Knowledgestorm Podcasts
Podcast: Optimize your Network for Better Business Outcomes by Hewlett-Packard Company
leading edge application acceleration to mobile workers, and speed up backup procedures associated with disaster recovery. Your network has never been more critical to business success than it is today, with employees, customers and partners relying on it to communicate easily and transfer large quantities of...
Time to Rethink Backup and Recovery - Virtualization Changes the Paradigm by Vizioncore Inc.
to run more of their production applications. This raises the bar for backup and recovery applications like vRanger Pro. Virtualization is becoming more widely used and accepted. As the level of use rises, experienced users are adopting virtualization to run more of their production applications. This raises the...
Addressing Backup and Recovery in a Consolidated Server Environment: Practical Advice from a Field-Proven Expert by Datalink/NetApp
This podcast discusses the pros and cons of using VMware Consolidated Backup for local backup and recovery, where it makes sense to use consolidated storage in a virtual environment, and the challenges of DR in a consolidated server environment. Organizations are deploying server virtualization at a rapid pace...